The Summer Between Elementi and Her
by Emily Bones
Summary: Edward Cullen fan of the Elementi Saga, visits the Scottish town of Allogh, the inspiration for these books. He falls hard for the beautiful and sarcastic Isabella Swan, who happens to not give a toss about the books. UP FOR ADOPTION
1. Prologue

__**I don't own Twilight action figurines. I only own the sandbox**

**This idea came when I was watching _Paul_ and its very different from what I'm used to. No dark angst or anything so...yup. **

**Summary: It's about a boy called Edward Cullen, one of the many fans of the Elementi Saga, a series of books that have taken the nerd world by storm. It's about how Edward takes a package holiday with three of his other equally devoted friends. It's about how he meets Isabella Swan on this holiday. She works behind the bar in the local pub. It's about how he instantly is besotted with her.**

**Too bad she doesn't give a toss about _Elementi_ and has a few issues of her own i.e. oppressive and rather large ex-boyfriend who as a tendency of bollocking any boy who tries to go near her…**

**So please read and tell me what you think**

_Prologue_

The _Elementi _saga was a series of books that shook the world of geeks and nerds alike. It was awe-inspiring, breath-taking, life-changing and other equally amazing words. It spawned an entire new culture, rivalling the culture of the space nerds and the vampire wannabes. It started the near constant battle between the _Lord Of the Rings_ followers and _Elementi _followers, as they crusaded harder than the original Knight's Templar about which series of books were better.

There's no denying that _Elementi _was the stuff of nerd heaven.

It followed the story of Drawde and his circle of mercenaries, plundering the lands of Forksonia, defeating evil forces, saving distressed cities and their damsels and following the advice of wise old wizards with big sticks.

Drawde himself was a Prince from the Northern Realm of Lission who, for the entire series, searches for vengeance for the horrific death of his family, with his blood brothers in tow: Iaspis and Mete. He is strong, he is skilled and he is fearless.

And he has the most beautiful warrior princess as his girlfriend. Isa Olor, Princess of the Shining Waters and part Fey, was renowned for her astounding beauty, her excellent skills in the ways of combat and how she required very little armour (indeed, for male nerds and even a few of the female ones, this is nearly always seen as her best trait). She and Drawde, amongst all of their bloody and dangerous adventures are deeply in love, thus appealing to the female population of the extensive fan base.

For a true _Elementi_ fan, you would know that this was born from the mind of one Aaron McEwen, town recluse of the village of Allogh in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. Originally a museum curator, he was retired at the age of 50 and to pass the time he wrote this world down in a notebook while drinking his liver away at the Swan's Head Pub.

If you were really passionate about this man and his imagination, you would know he used the fairy tales his mother used to tell him, creating the world of _Elementi_, basing everything on the village and the land around him. Nesam Castle was Allogh Keep, the Shining Waters was the Loch Alma and The Sorcerer of the Caves was Mr Patil from the corner shop.

Aaron, convincing himself that it was publishable stuff, sent the neatly typed material to publishers in London. Out of ten, only one published it.

And by God, did they come across a bestseller.

After a year of taking the British Isles by storm, inciting the faithful devotion of 12 year olds and adults alike, the books travelled across the Atlantic and became an even bigger phenomenon.

It remained at the top of _The New York Times_ Bestseller's list for 5 weeks. Nerds everywhere discussed in detail the characters and their lives. Merchandise mimicking Drawde's Mutus Sword, Iaspis' Veritas Dagger, Mete's Fatum Hammer and Isa's Vertus Arrows were sold in there thousands. Scotland's tourist numbers rocketed and the little town of Allogh exploded. One company had the foresight to offer exclusive tours of all the various sites said to be the inspiration for the books, creating the perfect package holiday for any self-respecting and devoted follower of _Elementi_.

Aaron McEwen sold his cottage and jetted around the world as he accepted book signings and a movie deal, leaving the shell-shocked town of Allogh to become the nerd version of Disneyworld and deal with what they termed as 'his shite.'

But this story isn't about Aaron. It's not about his characters either.

It's about a boy called Edward Cullen, one of the many fans of these series of books. It's about how he takes this package holiday with three of his other equally devoted friends. It's about how he meets Isabella Swan on this holiday. She works behind the bar in the Swan's Head. It's about how he instantly is besotted with her.

Too bad she doesn't give a toss about _Elementi_ and has a few issues of her own i.e. oppressive and rather large ex-boyfriend who as a tendency of bollocking any boy who tries to go near her…

Aaaah…now there's a spanner in the works…

**Please tell me what you think!**

**Bones**


	2. The Path to Forksonia

**I do not own Twilight. Just the plot.**

_The Path to Forksonia _

_Edward Cullen_

_Wanderlust Holidays Van_

_Somewhere between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit _

This is so _cool._

Scotland is exactly as how I had imagined.

So…green and…rugged and…green.

Perspiration steamed the inside of the tiny cramped van we'd all been pushed into, fogging up the view of the massive lake – no sorry – loch that was whizzing by on our right and I constantly had to wipe the window clean. My twin sister Alice was taking it upon herself to read aloud the first book of the _Elementi _series; _Inferni, _to anyone who would listen, Jasper was being the patient boyfriend to her and Emmett was playing _Grand Theft Auto_ on his PSP.

I just have my iPod in, listening to the audiobook to _Ros,_ staring out at the frankly stunning countryside and trying not to geek out.

"_We must head for the hills," Drawde said gruffly, his steely eyes focused on the craggy, purple-grey mountains that cracked their way along the horizon, "the Umbra forces are only moments behind us." _

_Iaspis nodded sombrely in agreement, pulling the reins of his steed towards the mountains. "Mete said he would meet us at the Challoch Pass."_

_Isa shook her head, kneeling against the ground as she listened intently to the hushes of the West Wind, her exquisite face creased in concentration, "the wind whispers to me… behind the Challoch Pass, danger lurks in the river and in the plain. We must to keep to the trees…"_

My eyes flickered up to the vast forests that ran up the hills in dark green patches and streaks, imagining the three starting off towards the greyish crags I could see cracking above us on the hill.

Back home in Chicago, I'd been saving for this trip ever since I had first laid my hands on the _Elementi _series. With a little help from my parents, I had managed to get tickets for all of my friends as a graduation celebration before we all went off to our respective colleges. I was going to Harvard to study Medicine and become a doctor like my dad. But this…this was one last thing I wanted to do before I supposedly became an adult.

When the books were first published when I was 12, I was the kid everyone picked on. I had acne that made me look constantly diseased, large thick glasses that dwarfed my head and made my bottle green eyes look ten times their size. I was the tallest in my class, dwarfing all the other kids by nearly a head but I had no muscle mass to make up for the height, so I stood as a beanpole against all the other kids. My hair couldn't decide whether to be ginger or brown, so it was both and never seemed to lie flat. Train track braces lined my teeth, making it near impossible to talk, the inside of my mouth pucker with ulcers, making me drool quite a bit at inappropriate times and attracting bits of my lunch to get stuck in the metal work. I liked to read, was good at math and science and my asthma made it sure that I hated sports.

I was a geek. A nerd.

I am a geek and a nerd.

Nerdward and dweeb were popular taunts, wedgies were the favourite mode of torture and my only superhero talent was being invisible to girls.

McEwen's books came at a time when I needed something to get by on.

Drawde became my favourite hero, my role model. Through him I was strong and brave and good-looking and I had a girlfriend who was supposed to be 'the most beautiful in the whole of Forksonia'.

Mmm…Isa Olor…

Moving on.

Swiftly.

I followed the books avidly for the past 6 years of my life, while saving every cent I had from mowing lawns and tutoring my classmates to eventually visit the tiny village of Allogh to see where it all started.

I am still pretty tall for my age, still not broad like Emmett is but the acne no longer peppers my face and I've finally managed to get contacts for my eyes so I never have to wear glasses again.

But still…I'm glad that High School is over.

Never have to go back to that cesspool again.

No more Mike Newton.

Thank God.

Suddenly the earphones are ripped from my ears and my sister's voice breaks my reverie, "Edster, stop brooding and be sociable!"

She screams this right into my ear.

Ouch.

"Holy crap Alice! I think you just burst my eardrums!" I yelped, clapping my hand over my now ringing ear.

Alice only grinned, waggling her eyebrows in that ridiculous way of hers; "Sorry Edster, but you know how I hate it when you brood."

She leaned back into her seat and grinned, stretching out her pink and white polka dot rubber boots that she'd insisted on getting ("Cos it rains all the time in Scotland. Like, 24/7. It's a wonder the island hasn't sunk yet"), which happened to match her raincoat and hairband she'd chosen to wear. She was wearing pink and white striped tights and a hot pink skirt that fell to her knees.

Yes, my sister has interesting fashion sense.

You do need to wear sunglasses around her.

Suits her personality I suppose. She's loud and giggly and bright and… pink.

Lots of pink.

The only thing we really have in common were the books. As soon as I got hooked on them, my sister who was younger than me by a minute, insisted on reading it as well.

She now writes fanfiction for Isa and Drawde 'ships.

Yeah…she's a shameless fangirl.

Ugh.

I scowled at her, "Have I mentioned that you're annoying Alster?"

"Frequently," she chirped, green eyes sparkling, "but I know you love me for my dazzling charm and wit."

"You keep telling yourself that," I retorted, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

She rolled her eyes and snuggled into Jasper's side, her eyes flickering to the sweating windows, "Its so beautiful, isn't it?"

Jasper nodded in silent assent, pushing his glasses up his nose and also glancing out the windows. Jasper's so unlike my sister it's kinda funny. She's so hyper and overactive and loud and he's relaxed and quiet. She's tiny and dark and he's tall and blonde. I was the one to meet Jaz first: he was the guy from the South who got picked on for his cowboy hats and boots. He's dropped them thank God but he still has that southern accent. It was only in High School that my sister and best friend hit it off. It was weird at first and a little gross but eventually had to get used to it, cos it looked like they weren't gonna budge.

They often do LARP scenes regarding Drawde and Isa.

_Shudder._

"So which LARP scene are we gunna do first? I think the one where Isa and Drawde first meet or the Battle of Cold Blood?" Alice asked

Emmett scrunched up his face, his face glowing with the unearthly light from his PSP, "You only want to do Isa and Drawde's meeting because you're a hopeless romantic. That part was not the best of McEwen's writing and you know it. I think we should do the Kelpie Ambush." Emmett's my other best friend and the one I turn to when Jaz and Alster are wrapped up in each other. We've been friends since we were five and had stuck together through all the shitty years. He's a big guy and when I mean big I mean…well…fat. That's what gaming, little exercising and a crapload of Doritos does to you. At least I go running now at the prodding and poking of my doctor father but Emmett…lost cause.

Alice wrinkled her nose, "Then we would have to get wet. Scottish lakes aren't warm you know."

"Listen," Jasper finally said, ever the pacifist, "We have a 3 weeks, plenty of time for us to do all the LARP scenes we want. Lets just get there first before deciding anything."

The van driver keeps on glancing in the mirror, giving us unreadable looks. He's a big man, with tattoos snaking up and down his beefy arms and his baldhead is round and shiny. "Ye all lookin' forward te visitin' Allogh, then?" he asks, eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah!" Alice said enthusiastically, practically bouncing on her seat, "We've been looking forward to this all year! Visiting the actual place for the inspiration of _Elementi_…other fandoms can never boast that, not really."

The man nods slowly, turning onto a narrower road and snaking his way through more dense trees, leaving the large loch behind. "Listen… a wee word for the wise." He glanced in the rear-view mirror again, "Dunnae talk aboot those books too much. Itsa bit o' a touchy subject aroond the village. Jus' keep yirselves te yirselves 'n' you'll be ahright. Ok?"

We sat in surprise for a minute. Even Emmett looked up from his PSP.

He works for Wanderlust Holidays. Surely he should be encouraging us to enjoy ourselves?

"Why would it be a touchy subject?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

He rolled his eyes, "Ye know tha' place…Dusneyworld? How'dya think Mickey Mouse and Goofy feel havin' te be nice te every brat that walks through those gates?"

We were all shocked into silence. We all glanced at each other, not sure how to react to this statement. He gave us one last look before continuing to drive in silence. Emmett glanced up, gave us all a 'what the fuck' look before glancing back down at his PSP again.

That killed the conversation dead between us all. The rest of the journey was spent in silence again.

It was another hour until we reached Allogh. We drove around the edge of a loch, dark lumps floated on the water, with trees and bushes sprouting from these islands. A castle crouched onto the water up ahead of us, contrasting greatly with the pearly white sky. Other houses and buildings clustered around it, forming the only settlement of people for miles.

Alice squealed in excitement, yanked out her camera and began snapping photos of the surrounding area. Emmett put down his PSP and watch out the window. The first set of buildings we passed was small cottages. The road led up to a square, with a stone monument depicting two First and Second World War soldiers, with the words "Lest we Forget" inscribed around the bottom. This monument was set in the middle of a small garden, with miserable looking flowers trying to push their way through. The square itself was comprised of shops, a pub and a hotel. The driver parked us in front of the hotel and said, "Here y'are. The rep shood be inside te greet ye. Ah'll git yoor bags."

He released the door and we all practically bolted out the door. "Oh my god!" Alice squealed, throwing her arms around Jasper's neck and jumping up and down at the same time. "We're here!" She spun on the spot, "Look! The Swan's head Pub! We have to go! And McEwen's cottage is just up that way and-"

"Ahright love, nay need to git in a tizzy," said an unfamiliar female voice.

We all spun on the spot again to be welcomed by the sight of a rather bedraggled looking woman. Her dark hair was frizzing slightly but she wore the slightly creased blue fleece of Wanderlust Holidays and a rather grumpy guise of a grin. "Are ye the Cullen party?"

"Yup," I said quickly, pulling out the documents from my bag and handing to her, "we're here for the Elementi Package?"

"Aye," she said, barely glancing at the neatly printed papers, "Ah'm Angela Weber 'n' Ah'll be yoor rep fir the rest o' the trip. Welcome to Allogh. Any questions, jus' ask. Once yir settled into the hotel," she gestured behind her to Riley Hotel, "Meet me in the Swan's head pub, jus' across from us, ahright?"

We all nodded in understanding, just as the driver finished unloading, "Tha's me done Ang. Ah'll see ye with the next batch."

She nodded absently, glancing through her clipboard, "ahright Jim, see ya."

The driver got in to his van and drove off while Angela said, "C'mon, Ah'll help ye check in."

She turned on her heel and stalked off. We all glanced worryingly at each other and followed. I was starting to shiver slightly in the cold but soon we were inside a slightly gloomy foyer of the Riley Hotel. Everything was panelled with wood and the furniture was mostly overstuffed leather chairs and sofas. An old man in a wheelchair snoozed behind the counter in front of pigeonholes holding keys. Angela sighed as we approached the desk, took her clipboard and slammed it against the counter.

"Bugger you Rangers!" The man jolted awake, blurting out the phrase and blinking blearily.

"Still pissed off a' Rangers, then?" Angela said idly, "here, new guests. They're here for two weeks."

He wiped the mouth with the back of his hand and rolled forwards, "They bollocked us in the las' match. Ah'm still havin' nightmares." He eyed all of us, "welcome te Riley Hotel. What name are ye under?"

"Cullen," I said nervously, glancing around the room. Stags' trophies leered down at us from above and a grandfather clock clicked and snapped next to an empty fireplace. He flicked through a yellowing guestbook, grunted in assertion, then wheeled back to pick the keys. "Two rooms for two weeks, both next t'each other on the 1st floor."

He slapped the keys on the counter and rubbed his face, "Angie, ye seen Jake? Lad's bin crabbit fir two weeks noo."

"Dinnae ken," Angela said, "Prob'ly runnin' after Bella." She glanced up at us, "So, git yirselves settled in n' meet me at the Swan's Head. Ahright?"

We all nodded again, gathering up our bags from around the foyer.

She smiled for the first time since we met her, "Sound. See ya Billy." She stomped off, leaving us to carry our bags up to the 1st floor. It took 4 trips, but we managed to get all our kit up the creaking wooden steps, Billy watching us shrewdly from behind the counter before opening a newspaper to the sport section.

Jasper and Alice were sharing a room and Emmett and I had to single beds in a clean but slightly dingy room. Emmett was red in the face already from the exertion, sitting bent over on the bed, "Man! Some place huh?"

I nodded in agreement, opening the window to look out over the square again. There was no one about, the place dead with people. "Its like in the books." Indeed, in the books, villages were often hostile to newcomers, but eventually Drawde would always negotiate a sort of peace with the locals, even become an idol in some cases.

"But…you'd think they'd be like…you know…more…" he trailed off and then rolled onto his back on the bed, still huffing laboriously, "Are we gonna be doing a lot of climbing? I feel like I've just run a marathon."

I snorted and moved away from the window, "We're in the Scottish Highlands Emmett. You're in Walking Central."

"Shit," he muttered, and then he scrambled off the bed with surprising speed, reaching towards his laptop bag. "Does this place have Wi-Fi?"

"I don't know," I said, glancing around the old wooden room decorated with drawn pictures of the countryside around us, "probably not."

"Double shit!" Emmett hissed, his face now lit up with the unearthly glow from his laptop, "How am I supposed to keep up with the world outside?"

"You'll live," I said confidently, "if you're really desperate you can use 3G."

"It'll cost too much!"

"I'm sure Angela will show us a place for Internet connection."

"But-"

"Emmett," I said warily, "C'mon, we're in one of the most beautiful country-sides in the world. You can get Internet anywhere. Just chill alright?"

He grumbled something unintelligible but said nothing more.

Just then we heard Alice thumping on the door, "C'mon, Swan's Head Pub is wating for us!" She yelled through the wood of the door, I swear I heard a bird somewhere screech in alarm.

I opened a door to a vibrating Alice, grinning like a maniac with Jasper behind her, staring intently at a couple of brochures. "C'mon, we're off for a…" she paused, rummaged in her tent-like handbag and pulled out _NTC's Super-Mini British Slang Dictionary_ and flicked through the pages rapidly before jabbing her finger at one of the pages, "'pint!' In other words, a beer! Isn't it great? You only have to be 18 to drink here!"

The idea of giving Alice drink was just as scary as giving a grizzly bear crack.

And I didn't like drinking anyway. Never liked the taste and didn't like the way my head filled with cotton wool.

But I smiled and pretended to be pleased at the news while Emmett got to his feet and grabbed his jacket, "what are we waiting for then? Lets go!"

We all trooped out, past the Billy, who was already asleep again, newspaper spread across his lap and his mouth open with gentle snores. We went out and walked across the silent square. It was starting to drizzle, water collecting in our hair and clothes but we managed to get into the Swan's Head Pub. It seemed to be the largest establishment there, with warped windows and a creaking sign with a faded swimming swan on the side. There were chalkboards outside, declaring the day's specials. Alice's vibrating became more pronounced as we drew close, "This is where he wrote his ideas! We're standing outside the place. OMG, we need a picture."

As she rummaged through her bag again before Emmett sighed impatiently "Picture's later! Underage-drinking-but-its-not-really-underage-drinking now! GO!"

We pushed our way in to a brightly lit bar, with a fireplace that had a couple of glowing coals at the bottom of the grate. There were several dark oak tables with red cushioned bar stools. The bar itself was also made of dark wood, with a series of beer tap handles sticking proudly up along the bar and then around the top of the bar there were a series of stickers and then a glittering array of whisky bottled along the shelves behind, a pinned up Scottish flag and a series photos pinned up under the flag. There was one other guy at the bar, a stooped old man who nursed his scotch like it was the Holy Grail.

But I wasn't really paying attention to any of this.

I was looking at the girl behind the bar.

The most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life.

Just as beautiful as Princess Leia. As Arwen Undómiel. As Princess Isa Olor.

Curtain of dark wavy hair, falling down to her waist. Long fingers holding her book delicately as she leaned against one of the bar pillars. Pale, clear skin that looked soft to the touch. Thickly fringed lashes around eyes that were studying the book before her. Gently sloping curves under the long sleeved grey top she wore and the dark jeans, a pair of large walking boots cladding her feet. I bet her feet are delicate. Dainty.

I stood, open-mouthed as the girl sat unaware behind the bar.

Holy Lord.

Of the Rings.

She's lovely.

"Yo, Edward?" I snapped out of my daze at the sound of Emmetts voice and said, "sorry, drifted off."

The girl looked up and I finally saw her eyes. Dark brown, like her hair. Deep. Soulful. Breathtaking.

"Edward!"

I jolted and turned to an impatient Alice, "c'mon!"

She stomped towards a table where Angela sat, staring intently at the bottom of her drink. I followed reluctantly eye still on the girl behind the bar, who had flickered her concentration to her book again. I sat down slowly, my seat facing towards the bar so I could still see her.

"So, whatcha want te drink?" Angela asked, finally pulled out of her reverie, "word o' advice, dunnae go fir any o' the cocktails. Bella cannae make 'em for shite."

Bella. That's her name.

Bella.

I like it. I roll it around my head as Alice jumps up to get us all 'pints'.

Out of the corner of my eye I listen intently as Alice jumps up to the bar, "4 pints please!"

The girl, Bella, glances up and stares at Alice for a second before she sighs irritably and swings her legs down onto the floor. I watch, like a stalker, as she gets four large glasses and begins to pull at one of the beer taps. I watched enraptured as her fingers wrapped around the handle and pulled downwards, how she tilted the glass as the golden liquid poured in as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

I was waiting on tenterhooks for her to speak.

And she did.

"That'll be 12 quid," she said smoothly after she was done, her voice soft and low, eyes glittering with unknown thoughts.

As Alice tried to find the right change, I watched the girl, hand on her hip, the other pulling through her long hair out of her face. Her mouth is pink, soft looking and she bites them with a flash of white teeth.

Ugh…

Mind out of the gutter, pervert.

Mind. Out. Of. The. Gutter.

Alice finally found the right change and handed it over, grinning widely and taking the drinks. Bella eyes her as she leaves, eyebrow cocked before she mutters something under her breath and hops up onto the bar. She picks up her book and I catch a glance at the title, _The Handmaid's Tale_.

Wow... smart beautiful girl.

"So, wha' kinda things you wanna be doin' while yir here?" Angela asked, pulling out a folder and flicking through the contents, "we have a tour of the various sites linked to the Elementi Saga which runs from…" she continued talking but I couldn't concentrate on her words. All I could pay attention to was the girl behind the bar. She just read for a while, and when the old man grunted up at the bar she hopped off again to refill his drink before returning to her book.

She would frown at certain points and her lips would twitch at other moments as she read. She only stopped when someone entered the pub.

Another beautiful girl, but this one with long gold curled hair and wide blue eyes. She didn't take any the attention away from the dark haired girl though even if Emmett's jaw went slack at her arrival.

What a gene pool.

I couldn't help but listen, like the creepy stalker that I was to what they were saying.

Bella grinned and snapped her book closed, "Where the feck have you bin, sailor?"

The girl named Rose grinned and twirled, "Wi' Royce. Jus' dropped me aff." She leaned over the bar and pouted, "Beeelllllaaaa, ah'm yir bes' friend, right?"

Bella huffed but was still grinning, "aye."

"Sooo…a wee dram fir yoor parched fiere willnae go amiss, aye?"

"Jammy bugger," Bella taunted back but she pulled another pint for her friend, "so, whatcha do wi' Mister 'Lord o' All'? Did he show ye his massive trophy collection or was it summat else?"

Bella waggled her eyebrows and Rose replied, "Naw, he showed me his pleasure boat."

Bella choked on her laughter, "English bastard is aff his heid! This is Scotland for Christ's sakes not fecking Maldives."

Rose smirked as well, "Its huge as weel. Got a plasma 'n' everythin'."

Bella, trying to keep a serious face, said, "Freud woulda said he was compensatin' for summat."

They both stared at each other for a few minutes before they both cracked up, their laughter filling the small space.

I wish I could record her laughter.

It's like wind chimes.

Stalker.

"Edward? Ye ok with that?"

I snapped my attention back to the table I was actually sitting at and was met with 4 pairs of eyes. I pretended like I had been listening and nodded, taking a sip of my pint. Angela continued to talk and my eyes slid back to the girl again. "How're things wi' you 'n' Jake?" The blonde girl asked.

Bella's face darkened and she scowled, "We're still split and he's still a prick." She sighed and leaned close to Rose, "he's startin' te follow me. Its creepin' me out."

Rose clucked her tongue, "lad needs a new hobbie."

Bella snorted, 'Wha'? Apart from wankin' o'er ma knickers?"

Rose sniggered before taking a swig of her drink.

"Ahright, if that's all, ah'll leave ye to finish yir drinks. Ah'll see ye tomorrow fir the tour." Angela's voice tore me away from the two girls' conversation. Her chair scraped back and she gave as a short perfunctory wave, "Bye."

We echoed her, while watching her go. As soon as she did so, Alice pounced. "Edster, you've been staring at the girls at the bar for the past ten minutes now."

My face flushed and I stared into the golden depths of my drink, "Well..."

Alice stared over my shoulder appreciatively and said, "They're hot. You should go talk to them." She glanced at Emmett, "You too."

Emmett choked on the peanuts he'd taken from the dish in the middle of the table, "no!"

"Go on, live a little. You never know, they could find American dudes really attractive," Alice said enthusiastically, bouncing on her seat.

"Alster, you are so full of shit," I retorted.

Just then, the pub doors banged open and bird like boy wearing jeans and soccer t-shirt in green and declaring Celtic bounded in, soccer ball under his arm, shutting Alice up. Bella's face perked up and she called out, "Seth, where the feck have you been?"

The boy shrugged, ducking underneath the bar and popping up on the other side, "Where's da?"

"Oot fishin' wi' Billy. Sue's oot back. You need summat?"

"Naw, just need to tell him summat," Seth muttered, "can ah have an Irn Bru?"

"Naw, y've ahready had one today. Sue'll break a foot aff in ma arse if ah gie ye one," Bella replied, "gie oot the bar. Ye ken yir no allowed."

Seth scowled, "Leah would let me."

Bella scowled right back, "and ah'm no Leah."

Seth grunted in frustration and lobbed the football at Bella's head. She deflected it and it came whizzing to our table, knocking all of our glasses over. We all jumped up as the sticky beer soaked into our laps, the glasses rolling to the floor with a clank, "Shit!" Emmet yelled, drying desperately to get his phone out of the way of the seeping liquid in his jeans.

Rose burst out laughing and Bella swore, "Seth! Ye bloody pest! Gie away!"

She pushed her way out of the bar as Rose continued to snigger, grabbing a cloth, her face twisted into a grimace, "ah'm so sorry aboot that. Seth's a wee bugger at times."

I couldn't speak. She bent over the table, mopping up the spilt beer. Her hair swung forward, veiling her face as her pale hands moved swiftly across the dark wood. Her hair smelt of lavender. It glowed streaks of red and gold in the gold light. It looked soft. Silky. I wondered if it felt like it looked. I clenched my fists against my wet jeans so as not to reach out and touch it. Under that veil of hair, I could just about see the curve of her boob, soft and full. I wondered if it would fill a hand. If her skin was just as pale all over. Just as smooth.

Down boy. Down.

"Ah'll go 'n' gie you some towels to dry yir clothes. Next rounds on the hoos," she tossed us an apologetic smile as she straightened up again and then hurried back. She tossed the rag aside, pulled out some tea towels from underneath the bar while simultaneously smacking the back of Seth's head, "Ow! Keep the heid, wimman!"

"Serve's ye right, ye wee bugger," Bella snapped, "make yirsel' scarce before Sue finds oot."

Seth froze then bolted out through a beaded curtain, black inky hair disappearing into the depths. Bella scoffed then hurried back out again, carrying the tea towels to us. She was grining sheepishly again, "Brothers, wha' can ye do wi' them?"

Alice chuckled, then glanced meaningfully at me, "Yes, what can you do with them?"

Bella passed around the tea towels and then stood back, "if one o' yous wants te come up te order yir drinks, come up when yir ready."

She hurried away as we tried to pat ourselves dry. After that Jasper said, "All those in favour of Edward getting the drinks, say 'aye'."

Alice chirped, "Aye!"

Emmett grinned cruelly, "Aye."

I stared at them, mortified, a stutter tearing at my words, "I-I cuh-can't."

Alice poked me, "Chicken! Bok, bok, bok, bok!" She began to flap her elbows and squawk, her eyes gleaming with a contained excitement.

I hated her guts at that moment.

I huffed, squared my shoulders and got up and tried to saunter casually to the bar. Bella was behind it, Rose watching me as I leaned on the wood, trying to act casual, "uhm…fuh-four p-p-pints, please bar wench."

Bar wench? Seriously? Bar wench?

Rose stifled a snigger and Bella cocked her eyebrow, "right y'are _good sir_."

Her words rang with a mocking sting and I restrained a wince. As she began to pull the pints, I cleared my throat, my stomach being pulverised by butterflies. No, scratch that. Pterodactyls.

"Uhm…I'm Edward by the way. Edward Cullen," I said, my voice trembling slightly.

Bella glanced at me, something unreadable on her beautiful face, "Aye, nice te meet ye Edward. Ah'm Bella, this is ma friend Rose."

Rose grinned and waved her hello, while continuing to stare avidly at us.

I nodded, "pleasure to meet you too." There was an uncomfortable pause, when Bella's dark eyes were focused on the beer pumps, while I finally asked, "Uhm…you lived here long, Bella?"

"Aye," she said sardonically, "how long are ye here fir, Edward?"

"Three weeks," I replied, surreptitiously wiping my hands on my jeans, "We're here for McEwen's books."

Rose choked on her drink and Bella eyed me with distaste, "och aye. The Folly."

I was about to ask her what she meant when a major spanner in the works stormed in.

The man who barged his way in was huge, muscle bound, with black hair that was shaggy around his ears and a ruggedly handsome face. He was like those men you see on the covers of women's romance novels: all jawline and beefy muscles. "Bella? Where the feck have you been? Who's this bastard?" He suddenly grabbed my collar and hoisted me up before spitting into my face, "What the feck are you looking at, yank?"

Hoooly shiiiiiiiiit.

**LOL**

**You're in the shit now Edward. **

**Please tell me what you think!**

**Bones x **

**Translations****:**

**Aye = Yes**

**Wee = little, small**

**Lad's bin crabbit = Boy's been grouchy/grumpy**

**Dinnae ken = don't know**

**Quid = Pounds Sterling**

**Wee dram = a small or drink**

**Fiere = friend**

**Jammy bugger = lucky bugger**

**Aff his heid! = he is insane!**

**Gie = give**

**Ken = know**

**Feck = fuck**

**Keep the heid = calm down!**

**The Folly = This is actually an unfinished monument in Edinburgh to the soldiers that died during the Napoleonic wars. The reason its unfinished is because they ran out of money, hence why its call 'the Folly'. I just felt it fit here.**


	3. Leaving Fanfiction

Dear Readers,

Really sorry to break this to you, but I'm quitting fanfiction. As you guys well know, I haven't been writing a lot for this account and my other account on TWCS. Here's why:

When I first came onto this site, I was 15, pretty lonely, not hugely self-confident and just looking for a place to post my early writings without being judged too harshly. Looking back, its only now that I realise how unhappy I was. Fanfiction and books were a sort of escape from school. Since then, I've had a huge amount of fun, met a lot of wonderful people, grown in confidence in my writing and realised my own potential.

I'm now 20; I've left school, started university and thinking about what I want to do with my life. I'm not the same girl who posted my first tentative story and waited anxiously for the reviews. I am so happy and confident now. I have friends that I love and I'm learning about things I'm actually interested in. This is the best point of my life so far. The more I've grown in happiness, the less I need to escape. I hope you all understand.

This doesn't mean I want to stop writing. That is still a huge part of me. I want to focus more on my original stories and characters. I have a head full of ideas and I have dreams of being published. So watch out! You might pick up a novel of mine one day.

The bottom line is: I've grown out of fanfiction. It's not as big a part of my life as it used to be and I don't think I can pretend to myself anymore. It's not fair on you guys, my readers. You all deserve an author that's still invested in her stories and updating regularly.

I'll be leaving my account up and I'm putting all of my stories up for adoption. If you're interested or know of someone else who might be interested, message me (never done this before, so not sure how I'm gonna continue after that).

Finally, thank you all so much. I can't express how much this site has been a comfort to me, especially through the days when I didn't think that much of myself. Fanfiction was more than just a pass time for me; it was a way of experimenting with my writing style and ideas. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive response. You guys were awesome and I thank you so much for being patient with me through the shitty update timing, the Lolclan incident and my moments of crazy insecurity.

This place was a huge part of my life as a teenager and I'll always look back with fondness.

I wish you all a happy life and all the best in what you intend to do.

Lots of love,

Emily Bones


End file.
